Mushrooms Masters: A Tournament of Taste - Shiitake Showdown

Welcome to Week 3 of the Mushroom Masters: A Tournament of Taste.

Phew! We made it though Weeks 1 and 2 - thank you to all who voted! As you may have seen Australia's Kitchen Wrench took home Gold last week, but Canada came in a close 2nd with 35% of the vote - way to go Jeannette!

Growing up on Vancouver Island (on the wet West Coast of British Columbia) led to a love of nature and all things in it. The child of an avid hunter and gardener, lean years in my family were filled with plenty of wild caught protein and home grown produce, giving me a true appreciation for local food.

Through adolescence and young adulthood, I kept busy as a professional chef in catering outfits and restaurants alike all up and down Vancouver Island. After a stint in college led to an office job outside of the food world, I continued to cook for myself, my family and my friends. Soon after buying a house and a dog, marrying my dreamy husband Adrian, and having our first son Cohen, food became even more important. Learning all about the local food movement while trying to make my child’s first foods more “sustainable” was what brought my passions for food back to the forefront. Having not returned to work to stay home with the little tornado, blogging about my passions just came naturally.

We’re now enjoying life with our second child (a girl!) Isla, and our life is being busily filled with love for local food, family, gardening, writing, photography, endless laundry and diapers.

Shiitake Mushroom & Steak Flatbread on Shiitake CrustWhen I was given Shiitake mushrooms, I was a little overwhelmed. They are my favourite mushroom and have amazing flavour. You often don't find them around though as they are used very little, I find, in home cooking. Save for a few Asian dishes, shiitakes have little of the spotlight. What I did know, was that there is always dried shiitake mushrooms in my grocer, along with fresh. So I decided to amp up the shiitake flavour by using ground dried shiitake mushrooms as 1/3 of the flour in the crust, not only does this make for a beautifully buttery crust, but it also makes the whole shiitake flavour a wonderful star of this dish. Shiitakes are meaty and plump when cooked and when paired with super thin shavings of a good steak, make for a mouth watering pizza that's as easy as it is delicious!

Directions:1. Pulverize dried shiitake mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor until it takes on a bread crumb like consistency.2. In a large bowl mix flour, salt and pulverized mushrooms.3. Cut in shortening until a fine crumb like texture forms.4. Pour in 3/4 cup water and if more is needed at a bit at a time. Knead dough until stickiness is gone and dough is slightly elastic. Let rest 30 minutes covered in bowl.5. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add in rosemary, garlic, leeks and fresh shiitake mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are softened.6. Add Dijon salt and pepper and white wine. Continue to sauté until wine reduces by half and all vegetables are thoroughly cooked through.7. Stir in cream, cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.8. Rub steak with 1 tsp of oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear in a sauté pan on high heat (or on the grill) for 2 minutes per side. Just long enough to brown the outside leaving the interior very rare.9. Allow steak to cool for 10 minutes and slice as thin as possible against the grain. Set aside.10. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to desired shape and about 1/4" thick. Roll up edges to make a crust and pinch down to seal.11. Bake on a baking sheet in a 450°F oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.12. When down, spread 1 tbsp butter over the crust, top with chopped spinach, leek mixture, steak and grated Gruyere.13. Return to 450°F oven for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.14. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Oh my, this recipe is bursting with mushroom flavour!!

Head on over to Tastepotting to vote for Elizabeth's Shiitake Mushroom & Steak Flatbread on Shiitake Crust Recipe now in the Shittake Showdown!

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